There Shall be Executive Privilege and I Will Give You Russian Gold
Greetings common men and women of PredictIt. It is I, Zoltar, the All Knowing, here again to drop truth bombs upon your faces that will provide you riches and glory to your otherwise dreary existence. So rest your minds while I coax the golden goose to birth another egg for all those who trust in me to bring them fortune.
Will Don McGahn testify by May 31?
As everyone who in not in a coma is aware, Robert Mueller’s investigation recently ended with a report that recommended no charges against Donald Trump for colluding with Russia. House Democrats, led by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY), have responded to this political boner killer by going full Hardy Boys on Trump, investigating anything and everything relating to him, his family, and his businesses in search of something they can use to arouse voters to demand his impeachment.
Do not be fooled by his meddling. Though the Orange One is a flawed politician and a fell human being, one of his greatest strengths lies in his ability to bait political opponents into a fight that will make them look worse than he does. Observe him right this instant: now that Mueller’s investigation has concluded, the Orange One realizes that the public will likely view further Congressional inquiries into his Russian collusion/obstruction as overkill. Therefore, immediately after the Department of Justice released Mueller’s report, Trump pivoted from his position of cooperating with investigators to one that now openly defies Congressional probing into his Russian ties.
The new front of this war is over the question of whether or not House Democrats can force Trump’s advisors to testify about him, or if the President can claim executive privilege to shield them from ghoulish investigators hoping to find dirt on the White House. Donald Trump has been preparing for this battle the way he prepares for sex with hookers—by having a lawyer create a trail of legal paperwork to shield him from the consequences. See the following April 19 letter from Trump’s lawyer to Barr, which seeks to clarify that Trump’s decision to allow his top advisors to testify to Mueller during his investigation, was not a waiver of executive privilege for all inquiries outside of the Mueller investigation.
As we know, any action by Trump will lead to allegations from the Main Stream Media that it reflects Trump’s complete disregard for the Rule of Law, is a threat to democracy, and can only be interpreted as the initial stage of what will become Armageddon. And the Main Stream Media has not failed to disappoint on the issue of executive privilege, casting unfounded doubts as to the answer to two simple legal questions:
First, did Trump “waive†executive privilege by allowing McGahn to testify in the Mueller investigation?
Second, does executive privilege apply to “former†top advisors, like McGahn, who have left their jobs?
The short answer: Yes, Yes, and even if No, Trump can litigate the matter until his next term.
Now I shall give you the answers and show you the path to alpha.
Any person with a rudimentary knowledge of the law and history should view the debate on whether or not Trump can use executive privilege to prevent McGahn from testifying as a personal insult. Clinton, Bush, and Obama all received legal opinions from the Justice Department confirming that counsel for the president is immune from compelled Congressional testimony. As each of these legal opinions assert, top advisors of the president are extensions of the president and, as a result, the president, alone, has the power to assert executive privilege regardless of the top advisor’s own desires to testify or not.
From the Bush Administration:
From the Obama Administration:
As for the second issue – does executive privilege apply to “former†top advisors– the Bush Justice Department opinion addressed this precise legal issue by confirming that “former†top advisors should be treated the same as current top advisors in situations wherein the president decides to drop the executive privilege hammer. They found that:
“The fact that Ms. Miers is a former Counsel to the President does not alter the analysis. Separation of powers principles dictate that former presidents and former senior presidential advisers remain immune from compelled congressional testmony”
Let it be decreed: Don McGahn isn’t going to snitch. The Orange One won’t allow it.
And if my eloquent, sound reasoning and legal insight are not enough to convince you that this market is free money, you must take note that Trump can duck Congress by making the arguments above, even if the courts reject them entirely. That is because the process of litigating Trump’s executive privilege will take years. Think back to the Fast and Furious scandal that ravaged Eric Holder in 2011. The court finally issued an opinion against him in 2018.
The only way this bet loses is if Trump changes his mind and decides to open himself up to more congressional inquiries, which will not happen.
Don McGahn will not testify before Congress this month or any. Fill your pockets with gold and bet NO.
Will William Barr testify by May 31?
But why stop there? You may have noticed that Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) has also indicated his desire to have Bill Barr testify again and is especially butt hurt that the Attorney General is investigating the FBI for illegally spying on the Trump campaign in 2016. Nadler’s strategy to defeat this probe is simple: the best defense is a strong offense. And he is playing offense by trying to paint Attorney General Bill Barr as lawless maniac swinging a meat axe through democratic norms in order to protect the anti-Christ, Donald Trump, from judgment.
However, Zoltar, the All Knowing, easily sees through Jerry Nadler’s attempt at trickery and hereby calls shenanigans on his efforts to force Barr to testify as nothing more than a bluff. This meddlesome Congressman knows his case is flimsy. He is intentionally building a kangaroo court for Bill Barr to testify in, so that he can besmirch the Attorney General’s good name when he inevitably refuses to be soiled inside of it.
Barr will not testify again before Congress this month. Buy the No shares and thank me later.
Will Mueller testify before Congress?
Similarly, the market on if Mueller will testify before Congress in the near future is a big fat No. I will drop a truth bomb on you soon detailing why. For now– those who trust in Zoltar will be rewarded. Buy NO.
19-0
ZOLTAR.
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